‘The Vampire Diaries’ will be on hiatus until 2012. The show’s Executive Producer, Julie Plec, confirmed this sad news to fans on Twitter.

The November 10 episode titled “Homecoming” will be the last episode of 2011, leaving only two episodes before the long hiatus. Julie reached out to fans of the show on Twitter explaining to one viewer, “22 episodes a year, 52 weeks in a year. Hiatuses have to happen at some point. The network decides when.” In other words, it’s out of her hands.

‘The Vampire Diaries’ hiatus won’t be a vacation for the stars of the show, though. Plec tweeted that they will be shooting over the break, so hopefully there will be plenty twists and turns when the show returns on January 5.

The next episode, “Ordinary People” will air November 3 and will focus on the Original Vampires. Klaus’ mother Esther will make her debut on the show wearing a very special piece of jewelry. See if you can spot it!

How will you pass the time during ‘The Vampire Diaries’ long hiatus? Will you rewatch past episodes on Netflix as Julie Plec suggests? Share your thoughts below!